88 Keys
by NarutardedAngel
Summary: SasuNaru: This story has also made people cry, so please don't read if you are sensitive to deaths. A depressing story and unraveling adventure -not really- on how Sasuke's death strikes Naruto.


88 Keys

Light seeped through indigo curtains, shining off of polished ebony floors. It gleamed and bounced from every visible tile; but most of all, it reflected off a deep, obsidian, shining piano in the middle of the room. It seemed to be lifeless, though brilliantly glimmering, was it not for the pastel-skinned boy sitting in front of it.

Eyes opened to reveal that they were nearly the same shade as the piano, if not possibly darker. His raven-esque hair framed his pale face beautifully and, being short, spiked up at the back, giving his hair wondrous form.

If the boy himself was not a mystery, the way he played certainly was the most unknown fact about him. The fashion his hands traveled across delicate-seeming porcelain keys and his slim, almost feminine fingers seemed to know exactly which notes to play at the perfect time.

The amazement only seemed to escalate when this raven-haired beauty sighed and cleared his throat, a small frown on his placid lips, and began to sing with an angelic voice.

"If I act like I own the place it's because I do

You put strikes through you're zeros

and you go faster than signs aid you to

You see my left side as my strong side*

And it's pumping the song of a long night

And a chorus for this weekend….

This is for you and them…"

The Ravenette's voice echoed through the large room, sultry and fluid, as he continued.

"I've got 76 inches and 88 keys to get me where I want to be

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not…enough….

I've got 76 inches and 88 keys to get me where I want to be

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's…not…enough…."

Sasuke's frown deepened as he continued singing, and closed his onyx portals as he kept playing. He heard footsteps approaching from behind him, but he ignored it, knowing that whoever it was knew better than to interrupt him in the middle of a song.

The footsteps came even closer, and soon Sasuke felt a presence beside him. He opened his eyes a fraction, only to see a very familiar face. Sun-kissed skin and whiskered cheeks, golden-yellow hair framing a perfectly round face and beautiful oceanic eyes. Those eyes watched cream-colored hands glide across the keys like clockwork, and a smile, unlike his usual grin, appeared on his lips.

"But now, please cover these keys

Because I am putting shame to porcelain

I can't just breathe now

'Cause I'm losing the battle between thick and thin"

This part Sasuke sung by himself, not looking up at the blonde again, and instead closed his ebony orbs.

"So many nouns and so many hateful things

You directed to them

These lines are from you in case you forgot

Because I already know you do…."

The words left the blonde's mouth, not the ravenette's, and Sasuke looked up at him. He let a small, very seldom smile cross his lips, and sang along with him.

"I've got 76 inches and 88 keys to get me where I want to be,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's…not enough…

I've got 76 inches and 88 keys to get me where I want to be,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not…enough…

"This is cruelty in melody

This is the bouquet I never gave

Now this conversation's over

So grab that cell phone, do it quick

You gotta look busy

You gotta look more important than me…

"I got 76 inches and 88 keys to get me where I want to be

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not…"

The way they sang, harmoniously and perfectly in tune was enough to make the angels sing in ecstasy, and they continued.

"Oh, I've got 76 inches and 88 keys to get me where I want to be….

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not…

"Oh I've got 76 inches and 88 keys to get me where I want to be,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not…enough…

I've got 76 inches…and 88 keys…to get me where I want to be….

It's not enough,

It's not enough,

It's not…enough,

It's not enough…"

Sasuke sighed as the last few keys echoed off the glass walls of the room, and the Uchiha remained silent. Naruto smiled faintly and put a hand to the Uchiha's shoulder. "Mind if I try?" He asked softly, though his voice seemed to shatter all millennium in the peaceful room.

The Raven glanced up at Naruto, and scooted over in his chair, allowing Naruto to sit next to him. He didn't know why he did it; He never let anyone but him play his piano. But it seemed differently with Naruto.

Soon enough, Naruto began playing; only hitting two notes at a steady pace, before he began singing softly.

"We'll do it all

Everything

On our own

We don't need

Anything

Or anyone

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me

And just forget the world?"

The tune was quite familiar to Sasuke; it was one of the songs he played most often. He allowed the smile to stretch itself farther across his handsome face, and chimed into the song.

"I don't quite know

How to say

How I feel

Those three words

Are said too much

They're not enough

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me

And just forget the world?"

This line made the Uchiha blush ever so weakly, and he watched Naruto's tan hands cross the piano gracefully. Of course, it was nothing compared to Sasuke's skill, but it was still enough to stun him on the inside. They both began singing together, almost in complete harmony.

"Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden

That's bursting into life"

Naruto went on to sing the next line on his own.

"Let's waste time

Chasing cars

Around our heads

I need your grace

To remind me

To find my own"

This made Sasuke's insides well up; the reasons distant from him. He wondered if Naruto actually meant what he sang, like he himself did, but picked up where Naruto had left off.

"If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me

And just forget the world?

Forget what we're told

Before we get too old

Show me a garden

That's bursting into life"

Naruto smiled at Sasuke's exquisite voice, and joined him for the rest of the song, singing with an emotion that hadn't been there before.

"All that I am

All that I ever was

Is here in your perfect eyes

They're all I can see

I don't know where

Confused about how as well

Just know that these things

Will never change for us at all

If I lay here

If I just lay here

Would you lie with me

And just forget the world…?"

After the song was long and over with, the room remained unbearably silent. Naruto didn't so much as glance at the raven, and Sasuke just continued to gaze at the piano's keys, wondering how something so simple could do something so incredible. But maybe that wasn't what Sasuke was thinking about the _piano_. It remained silent for a few more moments, before the Uchiha's onyx eyes darted to look at Naruto's sapphire ones.

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke's cold, emotionless tone rang through the practically empty room, shattering the silence. Naruto looked a bit shocked, though his lips remained in an unusually firm line.

He didn't dare respond.

This aggravated the Ravenette. "Oi, Naruto, answer me," He said coldly, turning now to look straight into the blonde's eyes.

"I came to check on you."

That was all the Kyuubi vessel said, and all he dared say. Sasuke sighed and looked away. "What for? I'm not dying anytime soon, usuratonkachi..." Sasuke grumbled, gripping the edge of his seat, as if his life depended on it.

"I don't want to see you suffering," The blonde said again, softer than the first. This grabbed Sasuke's attention, but he didn't look at him. "Ever since we were little, you've been trying to make yourself look strong. It doesn't always have to be like that," Naruto spoke once more, looking down into his lap as past emotions crashed like waves unto him.

"You don't always have to worry about me, you know. I can take care of myself," Sasuke muttered bitterly, his grip on the chair tightening. Naruto noticed this and put a hand to the Uchiha's shoulder, only making him tenser.

"I know that I don't have to; I _want_ to," Naruto replied calmly, frowning now. Sasuke looked up only to glare at the blonde.

"I don't need you worrying over me. It's too depressing as it is, and I don't want you worrying over me, not now or ever," The Uchiha shot back, before looking away again, his eyes softer. His voice, like his eyes, came out softer than before. "I don't like people worrying over me...it's pointless..."

This caught Naruto like a deer trapped in a car's headlights; though his eyes were not filled with fear, but more with shock and sympathy. The blonde couldn't help but wrap his arms tightly around Sasuke oh-so suddenly. This made the ravenette's eyes shoot open in surprise, but he soon melted into the blonde's embrace, but didn't hug back. "It's not pointless, Sasuke. If it was pointless, I wouldn't even be here right now, and…" He trailed off, his grip on the Uchiha only tightening.

Sasuke frowned and, albeit hesitantly, hugged Naruto back loosely. "It's going to happen either way, Naruto...I don't have very long…" He spoke softly, his eyes downcast now.

Naruto's teeth clenched as he pulled back, looking into Sasuke's eyes. "Don't talk like that, Sasuke!!! It'll only make you disappear faster!!!" He yelled out, determination in his bright sapphire eyes. They suddenly saddened, and he looked down again as he rested his chin on Sasuke's shoulder. "I….I don't want you…to die," Naruto said in a hushed tone, which was much different from his usually loud voice.

Sasuke was taken aback by this, but he sighed as he allowed the embrace. "I know Naruto….I don't want to die, either, but…." He responded in the same tone of voice Naruto had.

The blonde boy bit his bottom lip, but soon released it when he said "But you don't know _why_ I don't want you to die,".

Ebony eyebrows furrowed at this, and his grip on Naruto tightened a little. "I don't? Isn't it because you're my best friend…and you'd hate to have me gone?" The Uchiha half guessed, but wondered if there was something else to it.

Naruto smiled faintly and shook his head, pulling away slowly from the raven as he faced the piano. "You'll realize after this song," He said softly, his eyes fixed thoughtfully on the piano's keys.

Sasuke's eyes were filled with curiosity now, his head tilting a bit in an un-Uchiha-like manner, but he watched Naruto in anticipation.

Naruto hands began to gracefully glide across the keys, and he glanced up at Sasuke momentarily, before he looked back down.

"I swear that I can go on forever again  
Please let me know that my one bad day will end  
I will go down as your lover, your friend  
Give me your lips and with one kiss we begin…"

At that moment, Naruto blushed and glanced to Sasuke again, only to find Sasuke looking away with his ebony bangs omitting any view of his not-so placid face.

"Are you afraid of being alone  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of leaving tonight  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you"

The Uchiha frowned and glanced at Naruto now, without the blonde noticing, and looked away just as fast. He didn't want to risk Naruto seeing his bright red face.

"I'll leave my room open till sunrise for you  
I'll keep my eyes patiently focused on you  
Where are you now? I can hear footsteps; I'm dreaming  
And if you will, keep me from waking to believe this

Are you afraid of being alone  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of leaving tonight  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of being alone  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you  
Are you afraid of leaving tonight  
Cause I am, I'm lost without you…"

Naruto's sultry, soft voice echoed quietly through the spacious room, and the sound of the keys slowly faded as the song ended. Sasuke, strangely enough, was gazing at the other in awe, both at the way he played and the meaning of the song itself. The faintest of smiles crossed his lips as his dark eyes softened, looking away as Naruto glanced back at him. Naruto caught his eyes, though, and his face burned slightly. "Do you get why I don't want you to die now?" He asked softly, a soft frown etched on his lips.

Sasuke merely nodded, still not bearing to look at Naruto as his heart began to beat at a quicker pace, his face reddening unnaturally as his thoughts only seemed to graze over the thought of Naruto's feelings for him. Which, inevitably, he could only admit to return full force. He sighed, knowing he couldn't deny it much longer, and finally looked straight at Naruto. "I know _exactly_ why now…" He said, equally as soft, and swallowed lightly.

Naruto looked back at him, realizing that their faces were only inches apart, and his face burned with an even more intense flame. "So…you realize that…" He murmured, daring to turn his eyes away from deep obsidian, but failing as Sasuke leaned in, slowly, and placed his lips gently over the others. Naruto's eyes widened greatly at this, but he couldn't hide that he liked it. He was taken by such surprise, though, that he was practically paralyzed. Until he realized that he was so stiff, that is, and finally melted into the kiss; closing his eyes and leaning on towards Sasuke. This made the Uchiha smirk faintly as he slowly cupped the side of Naruto's face, making Naruto smile and wrap an arm around the boy's waist.

After a few more moments, they both pulled back, feeling the need for air, and just gazed into each other's eyes. Naruto was the one to break the connection as he pulled Sasuke closer to him and hugged him tightly; Sasuke automatically returning the gesture. "Sasuke…I've been wanting to tell you for the longest time…But I didn't know if…" He murmured, trailing off as if he didn't know what else to say.

"Don't worry, Naruto…" Sasuke whispered as he rested his chin on Naruto's head.

"I love you too,"

Over the course of the next two weeks, the two boys spent all day and all night together. Naruto made sure that Sasuke was going along with his health issues, and Sasuke just did whatever it took to not worry the blonde and make him happy. No one in Konoha would have suspected that they were now an ecstatic, full-fledged couple, but then again, they were all too caught up in their own busy lives.

That is, until, Naruto came home to see Sasuke sprawled out on the living room floor with no pulse.

Now, instead of beautiful, wistful piano music being heard throughout the Uchiha Mansion, mournful sobs and small whimpers and cries of "Sasuke," could be heard, as well as a soft dripping sound.

Here was Uzumaki Naruto, sitting in the same seat he had two weeks prior, in the same spot his beloved Uchiha Sasuke had been. The room now felt empty and cold, despite the rays of golden light pouring into the dark space. He longed for his dear Uchiha, he wished that he could have told him sooner and somehow stopped all the pain and suffering he must have silently been going through. He wept for the memories he longed to cherish, but knew that it would just make his heart ache more than necessary. He didn't care, as long as he could somehow, in some way, still remember the love of his life, and know that he loved him back.

Naruto ran his trembling fingers gently over the icy keys of the infamous piano, and sniffed, closing his eyes as he took a deep breath. This last song was going to be one that he would make memorable.

"I will wait until the end  
When the pendulum will swing back  
to the darker side of our hearts bleeding  
I will save this empty space  
next to me like it's a grave  
where I lay a place for us to sleep eternally together

I have been  
Searching for  
Traces of  
What we were  
A ghost of you  
is all that I have left  
is all that I have left of you to hold  
I wake in the night to find there's no one there but me  
and nothing left of what we were at all,"

Tears were pouring down his face even faster than before, and with a shaky voice and violently trembling hands, he was still able to play beautifully, just as he had for Sasuke.

"So here I am pacing around this house again  
With pictures of us living on these walls  
I see my breath in the cold of the air that I breathe and I'm wondering  
I'm wondering if it's you that I feel if it's you that I feel here haunting me forever

I have been  
Searching for  
Traces of  
What we were  
A ghost of you  
is all that I have left  
is all that I have left of you to hold  
I wake in the night to find there's no one there but me  
and nothing left of what we were at all,

And I'm not looking for  
anything but us  
anything but what we were  
and I'm not asking for  
painted memories  
I only want to know you're here"

Naruto imagined that he was playing this for Sasuke, when in reality he really was, for himself and his beloved. He hoped that, even with him gone, he was still sitting right next to him, watching him play and hoping he knew how much he missed him.

"A ghost of you  
is all that I have left  
is all that I have left of you to hold  
I wake in the night to find there's no one there but me  
and nothing left of what we were at all  
A ghost of you  
is all that I have left  
is all that I have left of you to hold  
I wake in the night to find there's no one there but me  
and nothing left of what we were at all…"

The last part was whispered, as his voice finally gave out and a shrill, miserable cry flew out of his mouth, and he shook violently. He fell back, feeling as though he was being pushed back, and fell, hard and heavy, on the black, wintry tiles beneath him, and the air was knocked out of him.

All he could see now was black before his vision gave out, and the very last thing he saw was his dearly beloved Uchiha Sasuke.

"_I love you too…Sasuke…"_


End file.
